The invention relates generally to weeding devices and more specifically to a manually held and operated lever type weed extraction device.
The goal of a yard or garden which contains only those desired plants and flowers has prompted the development of a broad range of products to eliminate unwanted flora. Both herbicides and mechanical means have been developed to eliminate same.
Mechanical devices range from products which loosen the earth to facilitate removal, through plant extractors, to devices which appear to only remove the upper, foliage portion of a plant.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,142,783 teaches an attachment for agricultural pitchforks. The attachment includes a plate having a pair of spaced-apart openings through which two pitchfork tines are received and a curved body which provides a fulcrum about which the pitchfork be pivoted. U.S. Pat. No. 1,353,494 presents a device having a similar function but which comprehends an angled metal strap which defines an acute angle. The device is attached to a shovel or other digging implement to provide a fulcrum.
Pat. No. 1,494,557 teaches a lawn weeder having three tapering, spaced apart tines, a manually engaged handle and a cylindrical fulcrum member disposed therebetween. Pat. No. 2,868,503 discloses a weeding tool having an outer plate member which is pivotally attached to an inner fork member and handle. The plate member is placed on the ground and the handle may be pivoted to raise the inner fork member and a weed engaged thereby.
Pat. No. 3,061,270 teaches a lawn and garden tool having sets of tines of various lengths and profiles. The tines are received within an elliptical base which is in turn secured to a handle. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,138,365 a weed puller is disclosed having a plurality of triangular tines, a curved metal strip or rocker and a flange whereby foot pressure may be applied to the tool. U.S. Pat. No. 3,865,348 discloses a similarly configured tool having only two tapering tines. The length of the handle suggests that this tool is intended exclusively for use by a standing operator.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,243,206 teaches a weed removing apparatus having a plurality of parallel tines which are disposed in a housing pivotally mounted within a yoke. A clean off plate may be slid along the tines to remove weeds, dirt, etc. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 5,033,782 discloses a shovel for lifting weeds and softening the grounds which resembles a giant fork. A large number of spikes, i.e., approximately eight, are spaced one-quarter to one-half inches apart to catch weeds therebetween.
Review and examination of the foregoing prior art patents reveals that improvements in the art of weeding tools are both possible and desirable. For example, several of these tools include moving or pivotally interconnected parts which is undesirable in a lawn or garden tool. Such complexity also increases the price of the tool.